i didn't really post the original question to discover whether bringing the OJ is a "bad thing", each person feels it different. i posted to hear whether a random cross section of burners would want it there or not. a lot of people really enjoy the experience of not seeing much advertising or branding at the event and i've certainly enjoyed this aspect of BM also.

I posted to get a sense of people's priorities. for a random burner, how important is the [b]relative[/b] lack of logos and branding at the event, in the context of a free flow of gifts from any direction be it personal or megacorporate.

Whether the act of distributing the product is "good" or "bad" is relative and just kind of a silly question really. i just want to hear whether people would want it there or not, logo and all. based on the responses, seems that people don't mind much. some mind a bit. i definitely don't think anybody should mind more or less than they do. i want to stoke out burning man, and as a prerequisite to that want to hear about what you all are stoked and not stoked on.

if i got a majority of responses that said "orange juice is good but we don't want to see large scale product placement morph with gifting at burning man. leave the juice at home!" i wouldn't necessarily then conclude that bringing the OJ would be [i]bad[/i]...... but i wouldn't bring it, cuz what would be the point? i want to provide what the people around me are looking and hoping for.

I have a small project in mind, which will require a shitload of cash or some donations to make it really work.

I have called specific companies to ask for donations.
I have set my own restrictions on any use they might make of having made the donation.
I would not go beyond those without approval from the llc.

Once I finally get the right person to talk to, which is the real challenge usually, I make the pitch.
They are often baffled and fascinated.
One person asked about mentioning the donation in a tv ad, but that crosses my personal line.
I suggested using the information and packaging as a promotional item with their distributors.

So I ask them to donate a lot of stuff, then I tell them they can't use it for most conventional promotion, then I ask them to pay to cover up their own logos.
I have to record these calls.
I haven't had any no s yet, though only a few definite yesses.
They are usually fascinated.

I will probably list the donations on a separate website.
And I have mentioned that if people like something, they will usually find out what it is.

I am looking for things that would be useful on the playa.
At least one company recognizes us as a substantial market already.
They said yes.

gyre wrote:I have a small project in mind, which will require a shitload of cash or some donations to make it really work.

You may wish to contact the U.S. Government. They are the largest distributor of negociable cash, and I am sure they would be willing to make a large donation to your project. The currency DOES advertise the U.S. on it, but you could block out any reference to them with a Sharpie(TM) marker, and then pass out this currency at will.
Please let me know if you actually pull this off, I would like to hang out around your camp at that time!

It helps some that I have some knowledge of how this works in the racing world.
It costs some companies nothing to donate.
Others are effectively shipping you a box of cash.
Those are always the tough ones.

If you have any specific knowledge about obtaining free government money without growing tobacco or something, please forward.

gyre wrote:It helps some that I have some knowledge of how this works in the racing world.It costs some companies nothing to donate.Others are effectively shipping you a box of cash.Those are always the tough ones.

If you have any specific knowledge about obtaining free government money without growing tobacco or something, please forward.

I'd take it URS, its a gift without requirements. A fairly new corporation tried to romance one of our bartenders with a "gift" of juice. At first I thought they might be same corp, but clearly not the case. Because this one wanted product placement over and above our use of other juices as well as separately displayed and available to our bar patrons. That was an easy NO!

The boxes could be MOOP, so perhaps a juice box MOOP receptacle as part of your gift?

There's that pokey camel nose sniffing under the tent again.

The boxes could indeed be MOOP and a small percentage is likely to be just that. Still, why should the onus be on the donor to provide anything to to abte the irresponsible and careless behavior of others?

In some ways I see this as just another argument in line with that of the event doing trash pick up.

A few years ago we had a bluegrass jam at our camp. We gave out otter pops at the end. Then when the people left, there were several otter pop wrappers in our main hospitality area. We ended up having to pick them up anyway.

The general rule of thumb is that anything that causes people to stop for any reason results in a gentle rain of moop in the area where they are stopped.

gyre wrote:I have a small project in mind, which will require a shitload of cash or some donations to make it really work.

You may wish to contact the U.S. Government. They are the largest distributor of negociable cash, and I am sure they would be willing to make a large donation to your project. The currency DOES advertise the U.S. on it, but you could block out any reference to them with a Sharpie(TM) marker, and then pass out this currency at will.Please let me know if you actually pull this off, I would like to hang out around your camp at that time!

this large corporate donation is branding - which is the company's return on their investment. nothing is free. i'm not saying there's anything wrong with it now, probably 10 years ago it would have been rightly frowned on. but now, anything goes.

i was a member of clan destino in 2003 when a group member who worked for hansen got us gifted several pallets of monster energy drink, and other hansen products. we thought great! more for the masses... it's just monster instead of redbull. who cares? people were happy.

the next year, after most of the male leaders of the camp left the group (myself included), clan destino in 2004 (lead by the women) decided that it would be a good idea to up the monster energy drink relationship. they were "gifted" a semi-truck filled with the drinks and other hansen-related novelties. the truck was emblazoned with the monster energy logo, and made a ceremonious journey at the end of the week - up the esplanade, banners blazing! monster energy drink! the new drink of burners.

at the time i was Fing pissed off for ever having any connection with these types of people who would so totally take a dump on the non-commodification principal. but you know what? now i don't give a F! bring on the branding! more corporate donations! make money while you still can out of this event. that's what it's ultimately about.

There was a camp that gave out 4 or 5 pallets of drinking water - I didnt care what the label said, I just appreciated the gift.

assuming that water was a corporate donation, it wasn't a gift in the true sense. a true gift has no expectation of return. by picking up the water, even if you didn't care about the brand, you still noticed it in some way. you still had to deal with holding the bottle until you could properly dispose of it. other people saw you holding the bottle. that's the return on that 'gift' - well worth the cost of investment.

unless you're cool with that kind of thing being done to you out there, don't take gifts that you might suspect are corporate donations - that includes that ben & jerry's ice cream at center camp stunt years back.

truth is, no one gives a S about where the next freebie is coming from - they just want the freebie. people will form a freebie-line out there so fast it will make your head spin: give me the thing! drive me on your art car! give me the experience i read about!